Novus Orsa
by Wyvren
Summary: What would Happen if Snape found out he was the true Father to Lily's son, Harry Potter? And what if he were to find this out before said boy's 11th Birthday? everything you thought you knew will change. -Severitus-
1. Harry's Tormentors

**Disclaimer: Only Time I'm putting this up; I own not Harry Potter or any of the wonderful characters that have spawned from the brilliant mind of J.K. Rowling... **

**WARNING: This IS a Severitus! If you don't like the idea of Snape being Harry's Father... Then shoo... This isn't the fic for you! Pairings will be determined later... All is for certain though: Severus is still in love with Lily, even after her death, and some abuse to poor Harry...**

**Summary:** What would have happened if Snape found out he was the true Father to Lily's son, The-Boy-Who-Lived? And what if he were to find this out before said boy's 11th Birthday? Everything will change from what you knew...

**xXxXxXx**

_**Harry's Tormentors**_

_**xXxXxXx  
**_

_11-1-1981, 3:32 A.M._

Two shadowed figures stood on the deserted street of Privet Drive, now those who took residence in this area, would have been frightened at the thought of all the lamp posts being out, and the two unfamiliar figures walk down their street in such undignified clothing! Pointed hats, cloaks, one would think they were much too old for Halloween... But this was not the case, as all were asleep; unaware of anything going outside of their identical, perfect little homes.

Minerva McGonagall choked at the sight in disgust

_'They are the worst... what is the Headmaster thinking?'_

"Albus, they're the worst sort of muggles-" she couldn't even finish her own sentence. She shook her head disapprovingly at the elder man.

In her Animagi form, she had watched the family of Lily's sister all day, magic haters to the core, and it was revolting on how they let their fat chubby child get away with anything, even give to give him praise for the most ludicrous things!

Albus Dumbledore though, just frowned at the information. Their conversation lasted a few more minutes, discussing the future of a boy... a boy that is supposedly to change the lives of the entire Wizarding community.

Their bickering was shorted, as it was cut off by a rumble of a vehicle. Then out of the sky, a Motorcycle appeared; a large, hairy man by the name of Rubeus Hagrid landed and parked the contraption. The elder woman clutched her heart, and glared at Albus for allowing Hagrid to bring the boy on such a contraption, but the man just smiled and greeted the large half-giant.

Said giant carefully put a woven basket, full of blankets into the Headmaster's hands. The elder man went to a particular home and sat him down at the door step, and pulled out a letter, and set it with the sleeping child, who almost instantly clutched the letter in his small hand, still deep in sleep. The three just stared for a moment, most looking at the lighting-bolt shaped scar on the child's forehead.

Then Albus spoke his final words to the boy; until they met again eleven years in the future.

"Good luck, Harry..." He said with a grim voice, as the trio departed from Privet drive.

**xXxXxXx**

_7-19-1991 8:32 A.M_

_**THUNK THUNK THUNK**_

Harry tried to suppress a hiss as he felt dust and whatever else fell on him from the uproar right above his head. But this is nothing new to the boy, in-fact; it was a daily routine but the thumps seemed over excited today, and he got his answer of why, when an annoyingly snobby voice called from above his head, where the small earthquake had originated from.

"Wake up cousin! We're going to the zoo!"

Harry flinched at the loudness of his voice.

"Get up!" A shrill voice called that was on the other side of his door. The ten year-old boy inwardly groaned as he heard the locks that were on his cupboard door, slide unlocked, and with another bang on the door from his Aunt to make sure he was getting up.

"Yes, Aunt Petunia." He said in a monotone voice he usually used when being ordered around, no need to give them any reason to punish him for being snippy.

Getting off his poor excuse for a bed, Harry grabbed his rounded glasses, perched them on his nose, and made his way to the door. Halfway out of his cupboard, he was unceremoniously pushed back in, ending up back where he started: on the cot.

"Boy! Get in here and make Breakfast! I have no tolerance for laziness!" Cried out his Uncle, and the boy flinched. Great, he'd probably get something after breakfast for still being in the cupboard. Even though that wasn't his fault, he'd never try and point that out.

Harry learned a long time ago, never to try and prove that he was innocent, that led to worse things than just getting slapped around...

Getting out of the cupboard and into the kitchen as quick as possible without running, his fat Uncle sat at the table, and glared at him; Harry knew that meant trouble for him later. Quickly looking away, he began to gather what he needed to make breakfast.

Bacon, eggs- better turn on the grill for the pancakes, and turn on the coffee maker.

"Hurry it up boy!" His Uncle growled as Dudley came back into the kitchen and squealed in delight.

Turning around to see why, soon realizing he failed to notice the large amount of gifts that surrounded the dining table

They were also on top of it; underneath it... How did he not notice?

Harry hid his jealousy and self-loathing from showing on his face while Dudley began counting the presents.

Harry blocked out the conversation of his cousin whining on how many gifts he had now, and compared them to last year.

Harry glared at the bacon he was making and the rest of the food, knowing he would get none.

He quickly served them their breakfast then waited by Uncle Vernon, so he could ask a question.

Vernon glared at him after noticing he was there.

"What is it?" He barked.

"I was wondering if I could take a shower today..." Harry asked, mustering as much politeness into his voice without vomiting.

Vernon sighed.

"Yes, but only because we have to take you to the zoo with us, Mrs. Figg is sick, and there's no bloody way I'm letting you stay here on your own!" He growled out.

Of course, Dudley protested quite noisily, squealing and whining like the pig he is.

Harry quickly left the scene before minds were changed due to headaches. Grabbing a pair of decently clean clothes that were once Dudley's (They don't fit him very well at all; hung way too loosely) from his cupboard and dashed to the bathroom.

It had been a good while since he last had a shower.

**xXxXxXx**

_11:44 A.M._

Excited emerald eyes scanned the many exhibits. He had never seen such animals before! Lions and monkeys, panthers and bears! But the reptile section proved to be the most amazing...

People had begun to file out to go get some lunch, but the Dursely's had already eaten at a Restaurant in the Zoo while Harry was made to sit outside and wait, he got a pop sickle out of it though so he thought nothing of it.

Looking around, everything was behind a glass window; some hissing could be heard from the different kinds of snakes, Harry rested his arms on a railing near one of these cages, and looked into the exhibit of a Boa Constrictor. Dudley right next to him, press his face into the glass at the poor thing. Harry had to resist a sneer, that poor snake having to see this cow press his face in the glass to get a better look.

"Make it move!" He said, and Uncle Vernon, right behind him knocked on the window.

"Move!" He demanded.

The snake did nothing, and Dudley tried it for himself this time; he knocked on the window so hard, Harry was surprised it didn't break!

"MOVE!" He shouted, getting odd and surprised stares from the few people who were there.

Having about enough of this, Harry tried not to glare as he turned his head to Dudley.

"It's asleep!" He told him, he didn't really know if the snake was asleep or not, but heck, anything to get the fat beast away from the poor thing.

Dudley just glared at his cousin before stating;

"He's boring..." and walked away to torment another poor creature.

Harry mentally patted himself on the back for getting rid of the brat.

"Sorry about him." He said, turning back to the snake.

"It must get pretty irritating in there day after day, people coming by and doing nothing but trying to disturb you to see if you'd do something interesting." Harry wasn't expecting to get a response back to his rambling.

"_It does... but you soon get use to I after a while." _

Harry nodded, trying to find something else to say, to a _snake _no less.

"Where do you come from?"

The snake answered by jabbing his tail in the direction of his info plate on the wall next to the exhibit.

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil**

Harry smiled.

"Was it nice there?" He asked, but the snake pointed at the plate again.

**Bred in Captivity**

"Oh"

Suddenly he was pushed onto the ground, and the annoying voice of his cousin filled his ears.

"MOM, DAD! COME QUICK! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT THIS SNAKE IS DOING!"

Harry looked up, and he now full on glared at Dudley, resentment filling his being just thinking about him...

Then glass that held up the Dudley suddenly disappeared! Losing his balance, Dudley shouted helplessly as he fell forward into the exhibit.

Harry could only stare in shock as his cousin fell into the exhibit, and the Boa, slithering out of it and onto the floor next to him. The boy could have sworn the snake grinned at him before saying.

"Thankssss."

"Anytime." Harry replied, still in shock as the snake began to slither towards the exit, playfully nipping at people's ankles sending them into fits of shouts and screams.

Harry looked back to the exhibit, and to his humor, the glass had replaced itself, and Dudley was panicking behind it.

_'-And here we have Dudley Dursley: A fat, whiny cow.' _Harry thought, and he couldn't help but laugh at his cousin's plight.

Unfortunately... Vernon and Petunia were there too; the scrawny boy gulped as his Uncle glared at him fiercely.

Harry was not looking forward to getting back home...

**xXxXxXx**

_3:12 P.M._

Back at the Dursley home Harry knew what was coming as Aunt Petunia took Dudley to his bedroom to calm the hysterical boy who swore the snake was just about to eat him, and that Harry was talking to it, edging it on to eat him...

Harry had never seen his Uncle so livid!

A great feeling of dread filled the boy as he quietly tried to inconspicuously get to his cupboard… But Vernon would have none of that.

Just as Harry got his hand on the small door knob, he felt a hand harshly grab his unruly black hair and painfully yank on it. His eyes screwed shut pain, and from knowing what was coming…

"I KNOW you had something to do with that boy!" Vernon yelled at him, and another hand came up and slapped the fear filled boy.

"It just disappeared! I had nothing to do with it! First it was there then it was gone! It was like magic!"

Harry knew instantly he had made a mistake... a fist made contact into his stomach making the boy loose all of the air he had in his lungs. Fits of coughs and splutters came from him as he tried to deal with the pain, and get air back into his lungs...

"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS MAGIC!" Vernon screamed at him, another slap.

Harry had tears streaming down his face as he gritted his teeth, trying not to yell out, it would only make matters worse.

He was released, and Harry fell to the ground, he hoped it was the end of it. But instantly knew it wasn't when he heard metal clink together-

Vernon was getting his belt.

It took every ounce of will power Harry had to not try and crawl away; it would lead to just more lashings.

"This should teach you, boy!" He growled out, and the first lash came down and whipped him in the face, creating a large cut on his cheek, he cried out from the pain.

He felt Vernon grab his shirt and rip it off, and then fling him to the floor on his stomach, Harry knew it would be fruitless to try and get up. Another lash, this time on his back, and Harry gritted his teeth as he felt cold metal dig into his back like a blunt knife. Vernon was using the buckle this time. He felt his skin break as another lash came down on his back, Harry let out a small whimper as he felt the warm substance of his own blood began to ooze out of his wounds.

The lashings went on for a few more minutes, each one more painful than the last.

It seemed like an eternity though to Harry before the lashings stopped, and he was pulled to his feet, and shoved into his cupboard, and heard the lock slid into place. His Uncle spat out some harsh words and said once again:

"There's no such _THING_ as _MAGIC_!"

Harry listened for Vernon's footsteps to fade away before he turned on the small light in his cupboard, and then proceeded to dig through some junk in a corner of the small room, before finding what he was looking for. Pulling out a white, metal box from the pile, he took the old first-aid kit that had long since been forgotten in cupboard to his cot. Harry had used this since he could remember, and would stock up on what he needed in it by taking some small amounts of bandages, and a healing cream that the Dursely's thought they had misplaced.

It hurt to move, each muscle on his back felt like they were on fire, but he had to clean the wounds or they would become infected.

Getting out a alcohol pad from the old metal box, Harry looked into a small mirror above his cot to see the extent of the injury's, and flinched at the sight of fresh slashes and welts over old ones of other times. Straining his neck to watch what he was doing, he began to clean the wounds. He gritted his teeth shut so he wouldn't utter a sound from the pain the alcohol made. No need for Vernon to know he 'stole' from them to get the items to clean and dress the wounds from his beatings...

Throwing the blood drenched alcohol pad into a plastic bag near his cot when he was done, before getting out a large roll of gauze and the healing cream, putting the latter on first with great care; then wrapping his torso in the gauze, and leaving the gashes on his upper back, where he couldn't reach properly, alone. No need to make it worse by trying to bandage it up unsuccessfully.

He left the gash on his right cheek alone. Vernon would be suspicious if the wound looked clean and was healing properly.

Throwing on another one of Dudley's old shirts, Harry was grateful for their bagginess. This way, no one would know the gauze was underneath. Nodding at his work, and knowing there was no way he was getting out of the cupboard today; Harry went to his cot to get some rest. Not knowing that tomorrow, he'd be receiving a certain letter…

**xXxXxXx**

**There you go... I mixed the book and the movie for the snake scene, and for everything else, and then added my own twist to things.**

**Now, R&R and tell me what you think, please!**


	2. Of Owls and Letters

**Character development is going to be a major in this. Unlike in some other Severitus' I have read, Snape is going to know about Harry's heritage before he goes to school... So the hate built up through school will not be there. But the fact he has no clue how to raise a child will be an issue... But the hate thing won't be there, just misunderstandings. (But there will be MANY problems... so don't go thinking this is a 'Goodness for all' Fic where everything is peaches and cream and everything is taken well... **

**Now read! My explanations are done. Any questions I will try to answer though.**

**Disclaimer is in the first chapter.**

**xXxXxXx**

**Of Owls and Letters**

**xXxXxXx  
**

_7-20-1991 6:23 A.M._

Harry awoke the next day, and the routine was in the norm. Get up make breakfast, get yelled at to hurry up with breakfast... Then given a list of chores, consisting of but not limited to: laundry, dishes, and cleaning about every room in the house.

Setting about to do them in a mechanical way, he was so used to doing the chores that it was almost automatic now... Most of his morning was spend doing dishes and gathering laundry to be washed, and washing and folding the clothes.

But when afternoon came around, Uncle Vernon yelled at him to get the mail from the front door.

He searched through it: A letter from Marge, Uncle Vernon's sister who was vacationing, a bill, and a Letter, for himself. Harry blinked, thinking it was his imagination. But no, after rubbing his eyes a few times to make sure that it wouldn't disappear, sure enough, the letter was still there.

Dumbfounded, he entered the kitchen and handed the two letters to Uncle Vernon, and sat down in an unoccupied chair at the table to look over his own.

**Mr. H. Potter**

**The Cupboard under the Stairs**

**4 Privet Drive**

**Little Whinging**

**Surrey**

No stamp in the corner, or return address. Flipping it over, he looked closely at the seal, it adorned a lion, a raven, a badger, and a snake, all surrounding the letter _H_.

Just as he was about to open the yellowish tinted envelope... It was snatched out of his hands, and the annoying voice that he had grown up to hate filled his ears.

"Dad! Harry got a letter!" And the obese child ran over, and proudly presented his findings to his even fatter father.

Vernon scoffed.

"Who would send a letter to you?" He grounded out and took out what was in the envelope, and read the first line.

He paled.

Filled with confusion and irritation, Harry glared at his Uncle as he motioned Petunia to look at the letter, who also paled.

Harry had enough of the two looking up at him then back at the letter, and grumbling in hushed voices while Dudley asked over and over again to see it.

"I want my letter..." He growled out, and the two adults looked at him, then at Dudley.

"Get out, the both of you." Vernon said, in a voice Harry had never heard of before.

Fear, fear was in the man's voice... But what was in the letter that he feared?

After a moment when the two boys refused to budge, Vernon grabbed them both by the scruffs of their necks, and threw them out of the kitchen, slamming the door.

The two boys then went to the floor to try and eavesdrop on Petunia and Vernon.

"...How could they have known...?"

"...We'll just ignore them... They'll stop sending them..."

"...are they spying...?"

Harry really wanted to know who 'They' and 'Them' were.

The next day was no different, there was another letter, and no matter how hard Harry tried, he couldn't get to the letter, as Uncle Vernon ran him into the wall on their race to the mail.

The day after that, there were three, and owls began to hang around the house, always watching the family.

Days after that, the mail flap was nailed shut, the letters accumulated outside, and were used as fire fuel when Vernon got them, and made sure Harry watched them burn. His hatred for the man burned wildly like the flames destroying the letters.

**xXxXxXx**

_7-30-1991 12:34 P.M._

Albus Dumbledore made his departure from the Great Hall from lunch. All the teachers were there to use the final month they had to themselves to prepare for the school year, get supplies; make their curriculum schedules and everything else.

Going back up to his own office to look over plans, he was surprised to see a pure white owl making itself at home in his office, and seemed to be having a conversation with Fawkes, in their own speak.

Two letters were strapped to the owl's leg. Curious, Albus sat down in his large and overstuffed chair behind his cluttered desk. The owl, fluttered over to in front of the Headmaster, and Albus promptly began to free the letters. The owl flew away out of an open window as it's task was complete.

Reading who it was from, he was shocked:

**Lily Potter**

One was addressed to him, and the other to Severus Snape, from the same person.

Considering a spell of delay sending of sorts, Albus opened the letter written to himself, carefully pulling out the old letter.

_**Dear, Albus Dumbledore**_

_**If you are receiving this letter, then James and Myself are dead, and Harry is living with my sister Petunia and her family. I'm greatly saddened, that I could not be here to tell you and Severus what I'm about to write in person... But the fate is about as cruel as the monster who has killed us.**_

_**This letter was sent by a delay sending charm, and should reach you before my son's Eleventh birthday. This information is only known by me and James, but I know you and Severus should know the Truth.**_

_**James is not Harry's biological father, Severus Snape is. It happened before James and I had married, I knew of Severus' spying duties, and I knew that he couldn't have a wife, or a child with Voldemort using us against him. I had loved Severus, it only saddens me to know that I had to keep the existence of his own son away from him for his safety. I had married James as a cover up, so that when my pregnancy showed, questions wouldn't arise...**_

_**I had also put an advance Glamour Charm on Harry, so that he would look like James till his Eleventh Birthday, it will take about three days for the spell to wear off completely. I fear the reaction from my Sister and her family, as she doesn't like the idea of magic to well.**_

_**I know that Severus probably feels betrayed by this, for I haven't seen him since the wedding, I have sent another letter along with yours that I want you to give to him, I want you to be there for him when he reads this information in his own letter. And maybe, my son will have a better guardian to look after him.**_

_**I want him to have someone that will love him, my sister will not provide this, that I am sure of.**_

_**Please Albus... I know you're amazing at making up stories, and hiding any evidence opposed to it, please allow my son a normal life as the son of Lily Evans and Severus Snape, instead of the orphan boy.**_

_**With All My Love,**_

_**Lily Evans-Potter**_

Albus re-read the letter, twice. Soaking up the information. A long sigh came from his mouth as he got up and went over to his fire place. Taking a hand full of Floo powder from a suspended pot next to the fire place, he threw it in the fire, and said clearly.

"Severus Snape."

Said man came through the fire seconds after his name was called.

"Headmaster." He greeted with a nod, and Albus motioned to the chair in front of his desk before sitting in his own.

Albus looked at the black clad Potions Professor for a moment, calculating, and said gave him a slight rise the brow, questioning why he was called.

"Tea? Lemon Drop?" Albus asked quietly before summoning a House elf.

"No thank you. Is there something you wished to discuss with me?" He asked, suspiciously from the twinkle in the man's eye.

The old coot knew something... But then again, he knew a lot of things.

Albus sent away the House-Elf, and picked up the letter to Severus and looked over the envelope for a moment before handing it across the desk to Severus, who took it, and read who it was from.

Severus' head snapped up to the twinkling eyes of Dumbledore, before opening the letter rather quickly, and opening the contents.

Albus watched as the man sat up straight in the chair, and began to get a faraway look in his black eyes as he read the letter... That nostalgic look though, was replaced with one of surprise and shock. After a minute, he looked up from the letter.

"Headmaster... What..? How long have you known?" He asked, shock still in his black eyes.

"Just a few minutes ago, she sent two letters, one for you, and one for me. Seems she wishes for dear Harry, to have a real family." Albus chuckled, a normal life with an ex-Death Eater and ex-Spy, will really be something.

"All this time though, I thought- By the gods- I have a son! All this time, I though the child was the son of James bloody Potter... Why... She should have told me!" Severus was agitated and felt betrayed.

"Lily was protecting you... But now, Harry has a father, Severus." Albus said, a smile gracing his features.

Severus sighed, knowing there was nothing he could do about Lily now, she did what she thought was best, no matter how much she knew it would hurt him.

"She put a Glamour Charm on the boy... It's going to start wearing off tomorrow!" He said looking over the letter again.

The boy wouldn't look like James. That thought brought a sense of relief to him knowing that he wouldn't have to watch the carbon copy of his arch rival grow up.

"Then you should probably fetch the boy from his relatives, maybe tonight? It would be an interesting Birthday gift to find out he had a father." Albus said with a chuckle.

"But, Albus- I don't know anything on raising a child! And he'll wonder where I've been all this time." He began to read the letter over yet again.

"Start a new life... what does she mean by that? You don't think she'd want her son to have the Snape name?" He asked, and Albus couldn't help but grin.

"It appears to be that way my boy!"

Severus' hand came up to his face and rubbed a spot right in-between his eyes. He couldn't believe this was happening it was exciting, and troubling at the same time.

"It also seems that Harry's relatives are not allowing him to read his letter from Hogwarts." Albus announced, and Snape looked up at him and sighed.

"Why don't you go yourself? Or send Hagrid?" He asked, trying to find a way out of this, suddenly nervous about doing the task.

But he wasn't going to let Albus know that.

Albus suppressed a grin, knowing how nervous the man was, even though he tried not to show it.

"Hagrid is already running an errand for me, you know that." He strategically left out that he was going to send Hagrid to get the child as well, but he can make hasty changes.

Severus nodded, before sighing again.

"I'll go get him." Just as he said this, another owl came in and dropped a small piece of paper to the Headmaster before flying back out.

Reading it over, the Headmaster chuckled.

"It seems the Dursley's have moved to a shack on a small island just off the coast. It appears they are trying to outrun the letters."

Severus scoffed.

"Might as well deliver the letter personally and get the child out then... After all, if they're dense enough to think moving out to somewhere remote was going to stop the letters, I doubt they'll think that someone would come to question why he isn't receiving them." Snape announced as he got up.

"I will not, though, inform him about his heritage until we return here, and we can think about what to do then."

Albus beamed.

"Right then my boy! Here's his school letter, and you should leave a little before midnight as a surprise." He said with twinkling eyes as he handed the Potions Master a thick envelope addressed to Harry Potter.

With a curt nod, Severus left the Headmaster's office.

Looking over to the Phoenix on his perch next to the desk, Albus smiled.

"I wonder what these unexpected turn of events will bring for the future..."

**xXxXxXx**

_11:55 P.M. _

Harry Potter sighed as he listened to the storm rage outside of the small and rickety shack. He could feel the waves violently crash all around the small island, shaking the small shack that was built on a sorry excuse of an island. You could hear the wind howl through the many gaps into the structure. Rolling over on the sand, and pulling a moth eaten blanket over his form from the cold, he began to doodle in the sand.

Looking up to the couch where his cousin Dudley snored, the fat arm hanging loosely over the side of the couch and the boy's digital watch blinked at him in neon blue, showing the time:

_11:58 P.M._

Harry began to doodle a cake in the sand with candles, something he had seen Dudley get for his Birthday during the years. Harry's Birthday was usually ignored or never mentioned, usually having to tell it to himself so he wouldn't forget.

Writing the words 'Happy Birthday' on the cake in the sand, he looked back at the watch, '_Ten... Nine... Eight... Maybe something good will happen this time... seven... six... five... I wish I was away from here... four... three... two... I wonder if it'll be like this for the rest of my life... One...' _The wrist watch beeped quietly, indicating the change in the hour, and Harry turned to the cake _'I wish I could be taken away from this...'_ and blew on the drawing as if he was blowing out candles on a real cake.

Suddenly, there was a loud knocking on the door...

**xXxXxXx**

**There you go a small cliff hanger even though you probably already know who it is... Dursely's and Harry get an explanation in the next chapter. **


	3. A Father and a New Name

**A/N: ****I'd like to thanks everyone who has reviewed; and I'd love to thank those who pointed out my many punctuation and grammar flaws. (And my over use of '...') **

**By gods this chapter was hard to do... Tell me what you think... (Yes, I know Snape is OOC, But come on, you can't really expect him to hate his own flesh and blood, especially after not even meeting him till just now. There will be problems though I assure you. It won't be all peaches and cream.)**

**Thank You!**

**xXxXxXx  
**

**New Father and a New Name**

**xXxXxXx  
**

The knock on the door was powerful and loud. Harry was wonder why the person didn't just take out the door.

He could hear Vernon and Petunia up stairs shifting, startled by the noise, and started talking frightfully in hushed voices. The stairs creaked as the two came down them, Vernon brandishing a shotgun in his hands that he bought for protection. Harry though, believed he was getting paranoid. The large man, dressing in Pj's cautiously went to the door, and opened it.

Whoever was behind the door was obscured by Petunia and Vernon's form, but from the way Petunia screeched like a harpy, it couldn't be good.

"I'm looking for Harry Potter." and Harry's heart jumped at the sound of his name being said by a deep, smooth voice.

Who would want to see him?

"There's no Harry Potter here! Go Away!" Vernon growled shifting the shotgun so it was pointing at the visitor.

Harry swore that his Uncle had gone mad, why would he point the barrel of a shotgun at someone on _his _behalf? Hell, the man would beat him, but he would protect him from some guy wanting to see his nephew.

How very unlikely.

But that train of thought was soon derailed as heard some words from the obscured stranger that were in a different language, and the sound of metal dropping to the floor.

"Please, step aside." The voice was cold, and great amount of malice in it.

Harry's Aunt and Uncle stepped aside, and the stranger stepped into the poor excuse for a house, and frowned as he looked around the shack. Harry found his appearance odd: adorned from head to toe in black, and he seemed to have a type of cloak on him. The cloak whipped around him menacingly from the wind, even though that effect was doused when he entered the shack.

Vernon and Petunia stepped fearfully back, and Harry couldn't decide if the look on his Uncle's face was that of fear or anger from the weird way it was screwed up and the interesting shade of red he was turning.

"I will not have your _sort _in my house!" Vernon spluttered, pointing at the pale man who had stepped over the pieces of shotgun (how did _that _ happen?), and entered the shack.

Dudley whimpered, and Harry just glared at him before piping up.

"I'm Harry Potter, sir." He announced, and got up from his place on the sand.

The man stalked over to him, and pulled an envelope out of his cloak. Harry immediately recognized it as one of the letters Vernon had been trying so hard for the past few days to keep away from him. Harry took the letter from the out stretched hand and carefully opened the back of it.

Heart racing from excitement, he pulled out the parchment and unfolded it, and began to read it out loud.

"Dear Mr. Potter, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to..." He paused for a moment, re-reading the last part of the sentence again before looking up at everyone, who in return, were staring at him.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He said breathlessly, what was this? Some kind of joke?

Severus stared at the boy for a moment, he was processing the look of confusion and doubt on the boy's face, and it suddenly clicked.

They never told him!

Whirling around to face the scum that was Lily's sister and her husband, he glowered at the pair.

"You've never told him, never told that he was a wizard." He said dangerously.

Shocked, Harry looked at his Uncle and Aunt, they were livid. So it was true then, and they _knew. _He was a _Wizard. _What the heck did that mean? That he could do-?

Suddenly, the odd accidents like re-growing his hair when it was shaved off by Petunia, or ending up in a tree when Dudley was chasing him made sense. He could do magic. He was a wizard.

"You knew... You knew all this time- and you never told me!" Harry accused, the letter clenched tightly in his hand anger for the people before him coming out.

"Knew? Of course we knew." Everyone's attention was now on a very sour looking Petunia. She was trying to be intimidating, but her hair, up in curlers, just made her look ridiculous.

"How could you not be? My _perfect_ sister being who she was? My mother and father were so _proud _the day she got her letter: 'We have a witch in the family.' I was only one who saw her for what she was: a _freak!_"

Harry saw the man go rigid when Petunia began to mention her sister. The woman glared at the man.

"And _you, _always edging her on about it when we were little, even before that _bloody _school came into the picture. Then, she met that _Potter, _and got herself blown up, and we ended up with their son!"

Harry's eyes widened. This man knew his mother? And what's this about her being blown up?

"Blown up? You told me my parents died in a car crash!"

Severus didn't stay quiet after that comment, a light tinge of red began to show on his face: he was livid.

"A car crash? A car crash, killed Lily?" He angrily spat.

"He grew up without knowing, that everyone in our world knows his name! You don't even have the decency to tell him the truth about his mother!" He growled out, rounding on the now frightened adults.

This confused Harry, why would everyone know his name? He's just Harry; there wasn't anything special about him.

"Why?" He quietly asked the stranger, and the man turned back to look at him, the anger in his face slowly draining back to the cold indifference he had on when he first came.

"Now isn't the time for that discussion, when we get back to the castle-"

"Were going to a castle?" Now Harry was excited, he would get out of here, he wouldn't have to see his fat pig of a cousin, or his Uncle!

Severus allowed a small smirk at the child's excitement.

"Who exactly are you?" Harry asked, finally realizing he never even got the man's name.

"Severus Snape, I am a Professor at Hogwarts. Now I do believe we should be going, Dumbledore is expec-" He was cut off by a spluttering Vernon.

"I won't have it!" He growled, but Snape had enough, and pulled out his wand yet again and pointed it at him. The fat beast shut up instantly and Severus began towards the door, and opened it.

Lightning flashed through the sky, and Snape turned back to a still dumbfounded Harry.

"Well?" A raise of the brow, inquiring.

With one last look at his frightened relatives, Harry couldn't help but grin as he hurriedly followed Snape out of the rickety home.

**xXxXxXx**

_3:53 A.M._

It had been a very long broom ride back to Hogwarts, and during the journey, Harry couldn't keep himself to stay awake. After the thrill of being able to fly on a broom had passed, he had finally gotten bored of the passing scenery, and had went to sleep.

Landing near the main entrance of the castle, Severus quickly transfigured the broom into a bright green feather, and then stuffed it into his robes before scooping up the sleeping boy. He seemed to have hissed lightly in his sleep when he reached around his back. Snape chose to ignore it as he strolled up to the main doors, that quietly swung open just enough so he could get through.

Behind the door was smiling Albus.

"No troubles I hope." He said quietly as he gazed down at the boy in Severus' arms.

"Besides the fact that the damn muggles tried to fake ignorance to everything about the boy, it went perfectly peachy." Sarcasm dripped from the statement.

"I was afraid of that, but he is away from them now, and he might never have to go back." The older man said with a large smile, the twinkle never leaving his eyes.

"He'll never go back if I have anything to say about it." Severus said with resentment.

"I guess we should inform him about everything tomorrow then... I wonder how he will take it: finding out he had a father on his birthday?" Albus wondered.

Snape remained silent, and started to make his way to the dungeons.

"Have a good rest, Severus." Said man just huffed, knowing he wouldn't get a wink of shut eye from all the thoughts running through his head.

Before he knew it, Severus found himself at his chambers, laying the child in his own bed, knowing he wouldn't be using it himself for the rest of the morning. Harry mumbled some incoherent words as Snape magically removed the boy's shoes and glasses before pulling covers over him.

Taking one last look at him, Severus took his leave, to do some brooding in his office.

**xXxXxXx**

_8:35 A.M._

Harry woke up to something warm and soft around him, he felt like he could lie there forever; it was so comfortable. But his eyes fluttered open anyway, and he was startled to see the green and black covers. Bolting up, he looked at the unfamiliar surroundings.

Then, last night's events all came back to him.

He was no longer at the Dursely's... A great sense of joy filled him. He wasn't at the Dursely's! No Uncle Vernon! No Aunt Petunia! And no Dudley! A large grin spread on his face, but then, another thought came to mind:

Where exactly was he then?

Out of habit, he looked for his glasses, and found them on an in table near the bed. He quickly retrieved them and put them on; only to find that the glasses made everything completely blurry. Confused, he took them off and looked around the room; everything was clear, actually, his eyesight was even better than it was with the glasses

Thinking it as some sort of wizard thing, Harry got out of the bed, then remade it before putting on his shoes, and exited the bedchamber.

He didn't have to wonder long though, because right when he turned the corner; ran into someone.

"Ah, Harry! Good to see you awake!" Harry stepped back to see who he had run into, because it sure didn't sound like Severus.

What met his eyes was a very old looking man, with a long silver beard, and he had on blue robes with stars on it. His eyes were twinkling, and a friendly smile was plastered on his face.

"Who are you?" Harry asked, a curious look on his face.

"Albus Dumbledore, my dear boy. Headmaster of Hogwarts." He introduced, green eyes widened in shock.

"It's very nice to meet you, sir." He said politely, and stuck out his hand.

Albus smiled even more, and took the boy's hand for a firm shake.

"Well then, with introductions done, I do believe we should head to my office now. No doubt you have many questions... And Severus and I have things to tell you ourselves." Harry just nodded numbly, following the man out of the quarters and through the dungeons.

"I hope your relatives haven't been giving you much trouble over the years?" Albus asked as they began to climb a flight of stairs.

Harry inwardly flinched as his back began to slightly burn at the mention of his relations.

"No, not really." He lied, not really wanting to share that information.

"That's good to hear."

Soon, they came upon a Griffin statue.

"Lemon drops." Albus said to it, and to Harry's amazement, the statue sprang to life, and jumped out of the way to reveal a door.

"Wow." He couldn't help but mumble as they passed the Griffon and through the door.

Harry's amazement tripled though, as they entered the Headmaster's office. The many magical objects that were displayed around the room, and the many pictures of previous Headmasters and Headmistresses of Hogwarts that decorated the walls. The fact that the pictures could talk and move though, had to be the most mind-boggling.

"Take a seat Harry." Albus gestured to the chairs in front of a desk, and noticed one was occupied with the man that had taken him away from the Dursely's.

Severus looked his way, and Harry gave him a shy smile. The man just turned away, he looked nervous about something. Taking a seat in a chair next to him while Dumbledore sat in a large, overstuffed chair behind the desk.

"Now then Harry, I know you have some questions, so do feel free to ask any..."

His parents, were the first thing that crossed his mind, he never really knew about his parents; he's only know their names. His relatives never talked about them, and when he would ask, they usually ignored him or punished him; it depended on the mood they were in.

"M-my parents..." Harry caught Snape going ridged in his peripheral vision.

"Lily and James Potter... Your mother had to have been one of the brightest students I've ever seen pass through this school... Your step-father, though, was bright in his own way, but tried to find pranks and ways to improve his game in Quidditch-"

"Stepfather, sir? But I thought-" Harry was shocked, James was his stepfather? Then, who was his real father?

"This had just come to light recently Harry. James was not your biological father." He stopped for a moment, and looked over at Severus.

Something seemed to click in his mind, and he to, turned his head to look at Snape, but he asked the question anyway:

"Then, w-who is?"

Severus turned his head towards Harry, and stared him in the eye.

"I am." At least he wasn't beating around the bush.

Harry let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. All this time; he had a father... A smile slowly crept up onto his face. Oh he hoped this wasn't some sort of dream, one where he would wake up and find himself back in his cupboard...

New questions arose.

"What happened then...? Did you two divorce?" Harry asked Sever- no, his father.

He shook his head.

"No, we had... Erm... Well..." Now he looked down right lost, he threw a helpless look at Albus, who only chuckled at his dilemma.

That earned him a glare.

"They had a relationship prior to her marriage with James. She had married him as a cover up; for she was pregnant, and without a husband-" Harry cut him off, and angrily glared at Snape.

"Why didn't you marry her? Especially when she was going to have your child... and what do mean by a cover up?" Now it was Severus' turn to glare now, he sat up in his chair.

"I loved your mother with every part of my being... She married off to Potter, because she knew that if we had married, it would have destroyed my connections as a spy, and would have put you and her in mortal danger." He nearly growled out, Harry flinched away at the tone, but still didn't quite understand...

"A spy..? A spy for what? Would this have anything to do with my mum and James?" He asked, shifting his eyes from Dumbledore to Snape.

"It has everything to do with them, and the reason why you are famous in our world." Albus answered, the twinkle from his eye disappearing.

"Bu-" He was cut off by the older man.

"Please save your questions until after I have finished explaining, Harry." A moment of silence, and he continued.

"About eleven years ago, there was a man by the name of Voldemort; he was a dark wizard, the darkest of our time; tormenting us, trying to take over and force upon our world his ways... Severus, was a spy among his ranks, and had let us know of what was going on within the inner circle... Voldemort had caught wind of your family, he had been trying to get to them for a few years so when he found them. He had cold heartedly killed you mother and father... But for some reason, he could not kill you, and the spell that had cast back fired, he ended up destroying himself instead of you. This is the reason why you are famous, Harry, and the reason why you have that scar on your forehead." He paused for a moment as Harry sat back in his chair and brought a hand up to his head, tracing the scar.

"You were the downfall, of the Dark Lord, and the only person to ever survive the killing curse, or how you are more commonly known now: 'The-boy-who-lived'"

Harry let all the information to sink in... He's a wizard, he has a father, and now he had defeated this 'Dark Lord' when he was just one year of age, and he is also famous all throughout the Wizarding community because of it. It was a lot to take in, for a moment, Harry thought his head might explode from all this information... And somewhere in the back of his mind, he still thought of it as a dream.

Harry brought his hand down from his scar a little ways, and rubbed the area in between his eyes. He could feel a headache coming on..."Alright, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, the twinkle coming back to his eyes at the very familiar movement.

"Yeah, just a bit of a headache from all this... But, now that I know who my real father is-" He looked over at Snape.

"-Then I'm not really a Potter now am I?" He asked.

"Nope! Which brings up another matter!" Albus said with a grin, and father and son both groaned.

The headmaster then got some papers from off of a stack, laid them out in front of himself, and then conjuring up a quill. The man's smile never wavered as he stared at the two.

"Harry, for your safety, I thought it would be better for you to go under a new name, one that none would be able recognized as the-boy-who-lived. Start a new life if you will, as the son of Severus Snape, instead of a world renowned boy... I have a story already made up for that of course." Smile still on the man's face, looking at the two of them. Severus mimicked Harry's actions of rubbing the place between his eyes.

Safety? Harry felt a twinge of fear hearing this. Was he really in danger going by the name of Harry Potter? He shifted slightly in his chair, and looked to Severus, looking for any help.

The man glanced at him, and let out a long, weary sigh.

"It is your choice." He said with irritation.

Harry wondered if it was directed towards him, and felt slightly hurt, but he turned to the Headmaster and nodded.

"Well then! Severus, what shall his name be?" Said man glared at the Headmaster's cheerfulness, but began to think about it.

"Noah Severus Snape." He spoke after a moment; it had almost seemed as if he already had a name planned out.

"Noah Snape..." Harry tested the name out, and found he rather liked the ring to it, smiling, the boy nodded.

"I like it." He said, his eyes lit brightly, and Severus couldn't help but smirk at the approval.

Albus just kept on smiling as he jotted down everything on the formal looking paper.

"I need you to sign it, Severus." He said finally, and said man got up, and took the offered quill before scribbling down his name in a spidery signature.

"Now, Noah, you might also see some changes in your appearance for the next few days; it is due to a glamour spell that your mother cast upon you as a baby to hide your real self as a precaution." Dumbledore told him.

Noah wondered if that had something to do with the sudden change in his eyesight... The thought of his entire appearance changing perplexed him, and in a way, frightened him. There's was nothing he could do about it now.

"Now, your father and I need to discus some matters. You may explore the castle as you please, except the third floor corridor on the right hand side, and the Forbidden forest. I hope the name is self explanatory..." Albus said to the boy with a bright smile, Noah left the room to go and explore the giant castle.

**xXxXxXx**

**A/N: ****This was very hard to write... I'm still not really satisfied with it, but I'll make changes when I go back and revise my chapters. A basic filler chapter next, explains some issues and such... Like how Noah's new identity will be kept from being found out and such... But I hope I did this alright.**


	4. Changes

**A/N: Sorry for the wait. I got a writers block! But here it is... Sorry that it's a filler, but next chapter will be more exciting hopefully.**

**xXxXxXx  
**

**Changes**

**xXxXxXx  
**

_10:34 A.M._

Albus and Severus watched as the young boy eagerly left the room, it was then back to business once again. Snape turned back to the Headmaster and raised a brow, skeptical.

"So how are you going to manage a story of where Harry Potter went?" He asked after a moment, genuinely curious.

"Ah, it is simple really... We'll just say there was an accident and he died in a car crash. His Uncle was driving, and there was an oncoming vehicle in their lane, a head on collision occurred. His Uncle Vernon survived but dear Harry did not." And the man wiped away an invisible tear in mock sadness.

Severus though, frowned.

"Is it wise to kill of the icon of the Wizarding world, Headmaster? It will bring despair on the public." He reasoned, but the man just smiled.

"Accidents happen, and many knew of Harry living with his Muggles relatives. There will be sadness, but this way we won't have any unneeded questions." He explained, quite proud of his story.

Thinking about this for a moment; Severus searched for anything that could foil this plan.

"What about a body? And his relatives? Their well being will be checked, and what if they are questioned?" He pointed out, but Albus just seemed to smile more, if that was possible.

"A nice little transfiguration spell should do the trick, a nice powerful one at that. Then maybe an obliviate spell? That should put the memory of the crash in their minds... And perhaps some evidence to the accident." He said as if he were merely speaking about the weather.

Severus would never be able to figure out the Headmaster.

"What about Noah? He will need a story as well, no one knew I had a son." '_Neither did I till yesterday.' _The man added mentally with a sigh before crossing his legs in a more comfortable position in the chair.

"Affair with a muggle, she died from natural causes, and you ended up with the result... gravestone of Marie Lark died a young age of thirty just a month ago. She was an orphan with few to look to as family but her own son." He said with a smile, and Snape raised a brow, a smirk on his face from the story.

"Vague, but it works."

"With that all settled then, this information will be limited to those in the Order, for now... Now, when Noah's glamour spell wears off, you should take him to Diagon Alley to get his wand and supplies." With this, Severus stood and began towards the door to check up on his son.

_11:15 A.M._

Noah found himself in the Library after aimlessly wondering around for an hour. He had been up and down the castle during that time, and he still hadn't explored all of it yet... But he didn't feel rushed, after all; he was staying there.

He blinked a few times as he crossed the threshold into the library; it was _huge!_ He looked around the reading area that consisted of a few sofas, lounging chairs, and tables... And the books were sectioned off.

Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Herbology, Magical Creatures... And others. Curious, he crossed over into the first section, Transfiguration. He began to skim over the titles, his curiosity peeking when he spotted an odd title on the spine of a particularly thick book.

_**Animagi: The Animal Within**_

Pulling it out from the shelf, he looked at the black, leather bound book's cover. The name was said as was the author, and there was a picture of silver cat like eyes staring back at Noah. What caught him off guard was when the eyes blinked. Startled, he almost dropped the book, but quickly caught himself. He flipped the book over and back again before making his way to one of the couches in the reading area, and making himself comfortable. Putting the book in his lap, he opened the cover, and flipped through the title pages before getting to the index:

_**Intro: What is an Animagus?**_

_**Chapter One: History of Animagi**_

_**Chapter Two: Animals that are Known**_

_**Chapter Three: What Animal Could you be?**_

Noah ignored the rest, and instantly turned to the intro page.

_**What is an Animagus?**_

_**An Animagus is a Witch or Wizard that has learned how shift into a animal form and still retain their mental status as a human.**_

Shift into an animal? Noah raised a brow, he was about to go on, but s voice cut through his train of thought.

"Found the library have we?" His father's voice reached his ears.

Looking up, he noticed the man's eyes looking over the title of the book. A sigh escaped his lips.

"Only knowing who and what you are for a day and you are already looking at one of the most difficult forms of magic in our world." He said, and Noah couldn't help but grin.

"It just caught my interest... Do you know anyone that's an Animagus?" Severus looked at him for a moment, contemplating.

"Yes, I do. Professor McGonagall is one of them." He told Noah, but the boy caught the wording.

"_One _of them?" He asked, but Severus just smirked.

Getting up, Noah tucked the book under his armand got up from the couch.

"It is almost time for lunch, we should-" He had put a hand on his son's back to lead him out, but when the boy yelped in pain, and flinched away; Severus' eyes narrowed.

He watched the boy put his hand under the shirt and on his back, a look of pain on his face. Suspicion and worry filled the Potions Master.

"What's wrong with your back?" Noah looked at him fearfully from the question; Snape's worry intensified, he knew that look. It was an expression he knew very well.

"N-nothing..." His eyes didn't meet his own... a lie.

"Noah." A little more force in his voice now, and green eyes met black.

The boy played with the hem of the baggy shirt he was in, and Severus knelt in front of him, his eyes never leaving his son's. Noah didn't question or move when Severus knelt down and lifted the side of his shirt to show the poor bandage job; the man's breath caught.

"What happened?" He asked, and Noah fidgeted under his gaze, hurt and fear in his eyes.

"I-I... Fell."

"You can tell me the truth." He was not buying the boy's blatant lies, and anger was starting to eat away at him.

Who would do this to a mere child? Who in their right mind-!

"I deserved it!" The boy suddenly blurted out, and he stepped away from the shocked man.

"I never did get my chores done! I always did strange things... They told me not to but I did it anyway! I couldn't help it! I was always a freak and I deser-" Before he could say any more, he found himself in the arms of his father, his face pressed into the man's shoulder, a hand on his head.

"What the Dursley's did to you, was wrong... You didn't deserve this. They didn't deserve _you_." He said quietly, and the Animagus book dropped from Noah's hand as he wrapped them around his new father's neck and wept into the shoulder, for all the times that he was beaten, ridiculed, and put down by the demons that were his caretakers. He never felt such sadness at what had happened to him before... But now, he could feel it all crashing on him as tears leaked out from his eyes.

Severus picked up his son, he was angry, and saddened that something like this would happen to his own flesh and blood... How the two of them were so much alike in the worst sort of way.

And he, his father, wasn't able to prevent his own son from experiencing the hell that was abuse, and with his arms wrapped around the thin frame, he wouldn't cancel out neglect either.

Carefully picking the boy up, he quickly made his way out of the library and proceeded to head to the infirmary. The entire way there, he was cursing the Dursley's with every harmful spell in his mind, his son finally crying himself to sleep as the doors to the hospital wing opened for him. An older woman came out of another room, alerted by the wards on the doors and bustled over to him.

"Severus?" She asked, but when she saw the bundle in his arms, she quickly rushed over to him and picked Noah out of his grasp.

She quickly put him into one of the beds that lined the large room, and began her work on him.

"What has happened to Noah?" She asked, Dumbledore must have informed the staff who were in the Order.

"I fear that he was abused and poorly taken care of by his previous caretakers..." He said, the anger coming back full force; parental instincts kicking in from the prospect of those filthy excuses of human beings did to the boy.

Teeth clenched and his hands turned to fists at his side. How dare they? To a child! To his son! With a low growl and one last look at his sleeping son, and head out the door, determined to pay his _relatives_ a visit...

_3:45 P.M._

Noah awoke later that day in a strange room. It smelled very sterile and clean; even though it wasn't a very pleasant scent. The room was large with many beds; and two large windows gave a beautiful view of the sky and the loch Hogwarts loomed over.

Then, the memories of the recent events between himself and his father made him frown. Severus had found out about his relatives. Shame washed over him and unconsciously put a hand on his back, but to his surprise, his back didn't hurt at all! His thoughts on the missing pain were cut by an older woman that bustled to him. She pulled out her wand, and did a quick check over with a spell to Noah's amazement.

"You seem to be doing better now Mr. Snape. I was able to heal your wounds to where not even the scars will show." She said with a small smile, and the boy returned it.

"It seems though, that you were also quite malnourished because of your relatives..." Her tone became a strict as she fetched some liquid in a vial.

The feeling of embarrassment and shame came over Noah once again from the mention of his relatives' treatment, but the medic just smiled and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I have told the house-elves to serve you special meals for the next two weeks so that you get the nutrition you need, and get used to food." Noah didn't look at her, but nodded.

At that moment, Severus entered the Hospital Wing, and went right over to the bed Noah was currently occupying. After Pomfrey told Severus about Noah's condition, she allowed him to leave the infirmary. Happy about the news to get out of the strange smelling room; he eagerly followed his father out.

"Noah, I have some business to take care of with the Headmaster- you can return to exploring if you wish, just be sure to be in the Great Hall by seven. It's not far from the entrance." Severus said while peering down at the boy.

Noah grinned at his father who gave a smirk back before taking off back towards the Library.

Remembering all the turns he had to take, he found himself back at the library. The book he dropped was still there, and he picked that up before attempting to find his way out to the grounds...

_4:28 P.M._

After what seemed to be a life time, Noah found himself outside of Hogwarts. It was beautiful! The grounds had a large vast of grassy lawn, a forest a good walk away, and the lake was huge! But what startled Noah was the large squid that seemed to be playfully doing back strokes along the surface of the lake. Harry laughed lightly at the antics.

"Well 'ello there!"

Noah nearly jumped out of his skin as he whirled around to see the largest man he had ever faced. A big burley man with the most unruly black hair and beard he'd ever seen. He also wore a large black coat, and Noah swore he saw a mouse poke it's little head out of one of the many pockets.

"Hi." Noah said, slightly shaky.

"So you're Noah, eh? M'name is Rubeus Hagrid. Keeper of Games and Keys at Hogwarts." The large man said proudly, sticking out a large hand.

With a smile, Noah put his hand, that was probably just a bit bigger than the man's thumb, into the welcoming grasp.

"Why don' ya come down to me hut fer some tea?" The large man asked.

"Sure, why not." Noah said with a shrug, and Hagrid began to lead him to a small hut on the corner of the forest.

"So what's in the forest?" Noah asked, curious.

"There be a lot of things in dere, Noah. Some good n' some bad. It's not called tah Forbidden Forrest fer nothin'. Best not go along in there without someone wit ya, like yer father or me." He told him, then for the first time, he noticed the book in Noah's hands.

"Animagus?" The large man laughed. "Like both of yer parents ya 're." He told him, and Noah looked up at him.

"Both of them?" He asked, curious about them.

"Yer mother always fancied bein' a Animagus, had such a way with animals." He said rather proudly. The conversation paused for a moment as Hagrid opened the door to the hut, and a large dog bounded into the home. Seeing a new face in the hut, the monster Bloodhound began examining Noah.

The boy laughed as the dog jumped up and gave him approving licks on the face.

"Aw, down Fang, ya silly dog." He said, pulling the dog off of him, but Noah just chuckled and rubbed the dog's head as he sat in a chair.

The boy really liked Fang, he wasn't mean and nasty like the dogs Aunt Marge had.

Hagrid began to boil some water over a fire and sat across from Noah.

The hut was small, full of birds and other animals, but the boy felt right at home in the small hut. Noah giggled lightly as a small blue bird landed on his shoulder.

"Looks like ya have yer parents knack fer animals as well.." Hagrid said with a smile as he set up two cups.

"Was my mom an Animagus?" Noah asked, wanting to know about his mother.

"Yes she was the most beautiful White Dove I had ever seen. I'll tell you that right now, a dove with green eyes is the strangest sight you'll ever see." He said.

"A dove?" Noah said with awe, and Hagrid nodded.

"Quite a sight ter see a Raven and a Dove fly together." He said with a grin before getting up and fetching the boiling pot of water and adding some bags of tea into it, then setting it on the table for it to cool.

A couple more birds landed on his shoulders, and Hagrid chuckled.

"Now it seems that today is yer birthday..." he said to himself more than to Noah as he got up and went into the back of the hut.

Noah didn't have a clear view of what he was doing due to his large figure blocking his view, but when he came back with a large cage, but what was inside made Noah hold his breath.

A yellow-eyed snowy owl peered back at him from inside the cage, and gave a light hoot.

"She found her way here this mornin'. Don' know where she came from, but I reckon she'd make a good friend for ya." He said and put the caged owl in front of Noah on the table.

In awe, Noah raised his arm and put a few fingers through the bars in the cage, and the owl lightly nipped at them in a playful manner. The green eyed boy smile, light tears coming to his eyes.

He had never gotten a birthday gift before, never during his time with the Dursleys.

Noah looked up at the man with tears spilling over his eyes.

"Thank you Hagrid- thank you so much..." He had to force back the lump in his throat as he felt warmth fill his being.

A large hand clapped him on the shoulder, before taking the owl out of the cage, and let the bird perch on a very awed Noah's shoulder. They spent the next hour having tea and discussing how Hogwarts worked.

Noah learned about the four houses; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. About how Hagrid was in Gryffindor, as was Noah's mother and stepfather. His father was in Slytherin, and was currently the Head of that House as well. He was about to get into the history of the houses, when he pulled out his pocket watch and mumbled something about the time.

"Well, we better be gettin' to the Great Hall fer dinner, almost seven." He said, getting up from the table.

Noah followed suit, shooed the birds off him, and picked up the cage the snowy owl had occupied, and followed Hagrid back up to the school, the bird chortling softly.

He showed Noah how to get to the Great Hall from the entrance, and he stored it into his memory for use later. Entering the hall, Noah was stunned and stopped dead in his tracks.

The room was huge! But what shocked him the most, was that he could see the sky on the ceiling; the stars beginning to come out as the pink hue of the setting sun was beginning to fade from the sky.

"It's enchanted to show the sky. Rowena Ravenclaw was the one to invent that charm." Said a high, squeaky voice.

Startled. Noah looked at the voice's owner whom was shorter than him, but the silver hairs and balding head showed his years.

The small man introduced himself as Filius Flitwick, the charms professor and Head of Ravenclaw. The trio sat down at the round table in the middle of the large room... Another teacher, Pomona Sprout, explained that the table was only there for the staff during the holidays.

Noah grinned as he spotted his father, and quickened his pace toward him. Sitting down in the chair next to him, he sat the owl's cage and Animagus book down next to him on the floor. Severus looked at the owl perched on his ward's shoulder curiously.

"Were did the owl come from, Noah?" He asked, a brow raised as the owl hooted at him before she began preening some of Noah's still unruly hair.

"Hagrid gave her to me as a birthday present." He stated with a grin at said man who took a seat next to him.

"Does she have a name?" Snape asked after he gave a slight nod to the half-giant.

Noah's brows furrowed for a moment before shaking his head.

"I'll think of one though." He promised, bringing up a hand to gently stroke the owl's breast feathers.

With that, Dumbledore and the rest of the staff made their appearance, and they began to eat. Noah was introduced to the rest of the staff after he got over the shock of the meals magically appearing before his eyes. In some ways he still believed it was a dream... a wonderful dream that he hoped he would never wake from.

Noah was again pleasantly surprised when right after dinner, a cake appeared with his new name on it; eleven candles decorated it. House-elves suddenly manifested, and there was a chorus of "Happy Birthday" from them. After cake and an explanation of what just sang him the song he only ever heard for Dudley, he was congratulated by each of the staff before Severus led him away after a yawn betrayed the boy to his exhaustion.

Noah was directed by his father to the dungeons; every turn and corner, the boy tried to memorize so he wouldn't get lost. He also informed Severus on what happened during his stay with Hagrid, and about the houses and such.

"Hey, Severus... you wouldn't be mad at me if I was put into a house other than Slytherin, would you?" He asked suddenly, fear of rejection welling up in his, and making him fidget.

Severus stopped for a moment in front of his chamber entrance, staring at the snake portrait for a few seconds.

"No. It would be silly of me to disapprove any house you were to be put into." Even though he shuddered at the thought of a Snape being sorted into Hufflepuff.

A smile broke out on Noah's face at the answer.

"_Wolfsbane." _Severus told the portrait, and to Noah's amazement, the snake nodded; and it swung open to reveal the quarters the boy had woken up to this morning.

This time, Noah got a good look at it. They entered a spacious living room with a black leather couch and arm chair that sat facing a fire. The walls were the stone the castle was made out of, and the floor was a beautiful black marble.

"I have a room made up for you here. Though you'll be sleeping in your dorm during the school year; you're always welcome here. Wolfsbane is the password, keep it to yourself though." He told his son as he went down a small hallway and opened a door to the right.

"This is your room, there's a bathroom attached-" He gestured to the door near the bed. "-and your owl, can access the room through the small window right there for that purpose." He then gestured to the small window that was over a desk for studies.

Noah felt his breath leave him. He never had a room before... This was _his _all _his;_ not Dudley's his! His eyes became slightly moist as he set the owl's cage (The owl now in it) and book on the desk, running his hands over the fine finished mahogany desk before going over to the bed and running his hands over the bed.

It was nothing like the Dursleys... He had a room and a bathroom all to himself. He rubbed his eyes for a good few seconds to make sure he wasn't seeing things. When the room was still there when his eyes came back to focus, he rushed back to Severus and threw his arms around his waist.

"Thank you! Oh thank you so much! It's beautiful!" Noah cried, and buried his face in the man's stomach.

Severus went ridged, the sudden affection startling him. He stood there for a pause, until he brought a hand up and placed it on Noah's head. He was stunned at his reaction over a simple room, but the boy was raised by abusive people. A slight smirk of satisfaction came onto Severus face at the thought of the Muggles. Oh, they got their just desserts... and the little mind altering for the benefit of the plan to keep Noah safe.

"You're welcome... I also shrunk some nightwear and robes for you until we get the chance to go to Diagon Alley." He informed the boy as he let go of Severus.

Noah nodded and gave a yawn.

"You should get ready for bed. My chambers is just across from yours should you need me." He said, and left the boy to his new room.

Noah first released the owl from the confines of her cage, and let her sit on top of it.

"A name... Hmm..." Noah thought for a long time, till a book he once read that Dudley had discarded came to his mind.

"Hedwig! Is that alright?" He asked at he gently stroked the owls head, who gave a hoot of approval and flapped her wings gently.

Noah smiled, and went to the wardrobe to pull out the night clothes, and went to the bathroom. He was surprised to see the tub about the size of a small hot tub. Getting over his awe, he took in the black marble, and the mahogany vanity along with a fancy looking porcelain toilet. Striding over to the tub, he turned the knobs, and the water began to pour out at a fast rate; when he got it to the right temperature, Noah stripped down and got into the tub.

After washing himself, he put on the black silk night clothes. They were the most comfortable things the boy had ever worn. Towel drying his hair one last time, Noah went over to the bed and pulled back the covers and got in. The torches that made the light in the room, instantly dimmed to nothing, and Noah had no chance to relish in the warm feeling he had of being at home before he was asleep.

Definitely the best Birthday ever.

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**A/N: like I said, a bit of a filler; and before you ask what happened to the Dursley's: that'll be revealed later in the story.**

**Also, forgive me on the delayed update, and lame excuse on what happened to Harry, and Hagrid's accent, hopefully I got it alright. And no, Harry will not suddenly become an Animagus... That won't come for a long time yet. Yes, Severus IS an animagus, but that's a story for another time. Don't get mad at me for introducing it so soon... It's kinda important for later.**

**Hope you like the long chapter!**

**Thanks again to all those that reviewed, and keep em coming. **


	5. Diagon Alley and a New Friend

**A/N: Yay! Time for Diagon Alley! Thanks everyone who reviewed and pointed out my silly errors. Also, thanks for your patience because of my rather long hiatus… I have been more into the One Piece fandom as of late, and have only just returned to the Harry Potter. Hopefully I get several more chapters out before switching again… Also, I have gone back at edited the past chapters, taking out mistakes and changing a few things so that they make more sense. Anyway, enjoy!**

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**Diagon Alley and a New Friend**

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The week seemed to go by rather quickly to Noah, and after each day he saw just that much more of his true self. The day after his birthday, his hair had taken a wispy quality to it, almost becoming more untamable than it had before, going every way it could in silky black waves. Severus told him it was like his mother's hair, but because it wasn't long, didn't take on the rolling curls that would surly occur if he grew it out.

The boy decided he was going to keep his hair short. He stuck his tongue out with the prospect of looking like a girl.

Noah couldn't help but wonder, however, why his father's was greasy, instead of being soft, but was later informed of what potion fumes do to hair like theirs. He also found himself taller as the changes continued.

On the second of August, he became a smidge taller, and found his hands, especially the fingers, were longer.

Then as the days continued on, he found differences in his bone structure, mostly in the face and the way he was built. Noah was still quite skinny, but now had the height to make his figure more elegant looking. Severus himself found himself admitting, the boy looked like a copy of him... except for the eyes, hair, and the nose of course (thank goodness). The Potions Master expected that the changes would become much more prominent as the boy got older.

Noah had also been finding out more about the Wizarding world and Hogwarts during the short week. The many hidden passageways were delightful to the boy, as were the numerous books he had access to. He soaked up as much information as he could. Severus found himself studying the boy once as he read, and noticed how remarkably like Lily he was: the thirst for knowledge in almost all fields.

It still unnerved the potions master though, on the boys' uncanny interest in Animagi... But still, it brought out a touch of pride in his son's insistency to learn as much as he could on it. The boy even had the gull to look at him suspiciously every time he read one of the books on the subject. Severus had the idea that someone let it slipped that he was an Animagi himself, the Marauders weren't the only ones who knew how to change form back in school after all.

He also wasn't a legal Animagi, for reasons he hoped he wouldn't have to explain to his son anytime soon.

Then came the day the two Snape's needed to go to Diagon Alley for Noah's supplies, and it would be an experience neither of them would forget.

_11:53 A.M._

Severus and Noah used Apparition together to get into the Leaky Cauldron for their trip, the child leaned over and clutched his stomach at the odd feeling Apparitioning gave him. Noah was dressed in one of Severus' robes that had been spelled to fit him (a temporary item, for Severus planned on buying the boy his own wardrobe of clothing), and a glamour charm placed on his scar to hide it from the public. Wore one of his more casual outing robes that had green and silver trim.

"You'll get used to it after traveling like that a few more times." Severus told him, and the boy just nodded, and clutched the man's hand in his own as he began to look around at the new location.

Severus smirked to himself, warmed by the knowledge that Noah sought his security, and felt safe with him.

A few people in the pub looked up from their business to see who had come in, and a few more looked up as whispers suddenly spread through the pub like wildfire: Severus Snape had a child with him.

Noah blinked his large emerald eyes, stepping a little closer to his father from the rather unnerving stares. But a friendly man looked up from behind the bar, and gave the two a welcoming smile. He was an older man with wild silver-brown hair, a matching mustache and bright hazel eyes; wearing worn jeans and equally as worn shirt, boots, and apron.

"Eh' there Professor! What brings you 'ere?" He asked, pointedly looking at the boy that was now hiding behind the long legs of his father, poking his head out just enough so he can look at the bartender.

Severus knew the news wouldn't stay within Hogwarts, and he gave Tom, the bartender and owner of the pub, a glance before saying-  
"Just taking my son to get his school supplies and other necessities."- Like he was merely talking about the weather, before taking his offspring by the hand, and towards the back of the pub just as all the heads in the room popped up and gave him wide eyed looks.

Noah just blinked at the group of people before giving them a small wave, making the whispers rise in volume just as they rounded the corner to an empty room.

"Nosy bunch…" He heard Severus whisper as they came upon a brick wall.

Noah blinked, confused. Weren't they going to some sort of shopping area? Why were they in a dirty old room in the back of a pub? He looked up at his father and was about to voice his question just as the Potions Master pulled out his wand, and tapped a few bricks in a certain sequence.

Words failed Noah as the bricks suddenly shifted and moved out of the way, to reveal a bustling marketplace.

A sharp intake of breath, and a loud 'wow' was uttered from the boy, as he stepped forward, turning his head this way and that, trying to take everything in at once, from the hustling and bargaining people to the shops that sold things that Noah only dreamed of. Cauldrons, telescopes, owls, dragon livers, and books of all kinds were out in front of the shops with people looking at them or complaining about their price.

Severus was afraid the boy was going to give himself whiplash with how fast he was snapping his head this way and that. But he smirked as the boy took his hand and tugged on it excitedly as he pointed at an animated dragon in the window of toy shop.

"That's so cool! It looks real! I love magic!"

Severus made a note to get the boy some other items the child had probably been deprived of with his stay at the Dursely's. In the mean time, he made sure Noah was attached to his hand and began to lead him down the street past all the bunched together shops towards the bank that sat at the end of the marketplace.

"Where we going first?" The boy inquired, still looking at the other shops and their wares.

"To Gringotts the Wizarding bank, to withdraw some money that we need to pay for your supplies, and other things." He explained as they squeezed pass a couple bickering about the price of dragon liver.

Noah's bright green eyes became fully focused on Severus then.

"P-pay? You don't have to do that! I-I can manage somehow!" The boy babbled, becoming suddenly uncomfortable.

He didn't want to be a burden to his father, he had done so much for him already! There had to be another way to get his supplies than his guardian going out and paying for it! Maybe if Noah did some work? That way he can earn it, and show that he wasn't a burden!

"What can I do to make up for-" Severus interrupted him with a shake of his head, and a squeeze of his hand.

"You are not going to do anything. I am buying your school necessities and whatever else I see fit for you, because it is required by me, and because I wish to." He explained, inside he was infuriated with the Dursely's treatment of the boy so that Noah questioned his self-worth.

But was happily reminded of what he did to the family a few days before…

He hoped the evil buggers were enjoying their time reliving what his son had to go through with them! It should bring down their pigheadedness (quite literally speaking when it came to the two males) down several notches.

Noah however, looked at his shoes for a moment, biting his lip. _That's what parents do…_Yet he couldn't believe it.

"C-can I at least make you breakfast one day? As a thank you?"

The Potions Master bit his own lip to keep himself from snapping 'no' at the boy. But thought over his response instead to ease the boy of his over generosity; giving the small hand in his a squeeze he nodded slightly

"If you wish, but remember I'm doing this because I want to, and because I am now your father. I will do as I see fit for you." He said, just as they came upon the giant doors of the bank.

Noah, looked up at his father, and grinned brilliantly "Thank you! Thank you so much!" He cried before releasing the man's hand to give him a brief hug as they entered the large complex.

Severus stopped and put an arm around his shoulders briefly before taking the boy's hand again as goblins looked up from their work to roll their eyes and grumble at their display of affection. Noah was taken aback at the odd, humanoid creatures around him.

"What are they?" He whispered quietly, his eyes following a goblin going behind a counter that flanked the aisle way.

"Goblins, Noah, they handle all the money accounts and affairs in our world." He explained just as they came to a podium with a spectacle wearing goblin behind it, writing down something hastily on a piece of parchment with a quill.

The two wizards waited as the creature finished up the note, and looked up to address the Potions Master and his child.

"We wish to make a withdrawal from the Snape Vault." Severus said, his voice going back to the cold, dealing voice he usually used when not addressing Noah.

The goblin nodded before holding out his hand expectantly.

Letting go of a curious Noah's hand for a moment, he reached into a pocket, and withdrew a black key with the name 'Severus Snape' and the number '244' engraved on it. The goblin looked at it before nodding and calling out 'Griphook!' and another goblin came to the podium, and was handed the key.

They were beckoned to follow, and Noah looked around in awe at the extravagance of the building. From the high ceiling with complex chandeliers, the marble floor, to the designs on the walls made from all sorts of rare metals.

"This place is beautiful!" Noah exclaimed as they passed a dragon engraved on one of the walls, made from silver, platinum, gold, and rare gems.

Griphook gave a half smirk, that looked rather disturbing on the creature, but his eyes showed the pride he felt from the child's words.

"Everything here was made by goblins centuries and centuries ago, we goblins are known for our rare metal works from murals, like the dragon down to simple jewelry." The creature said as they came upon a cart on a rail that led into a deep cavern.

Griphook ushered the two wizards into the contraption before sending them off into the dimly lit caverns.

Noah was startled at first by the fast speed the contraption took them, but he got used to it, and even gave a loud whoop as they took a rather sharp corner. The feel of it was rather exhilarating, and Noah enjoyed every moment of it. All too soon for the boy, they came to a stop in front of a vault numbered '244'.

The goblin announced the number, and they exited the cart, to Noah's disappointment, but it was soon replaced by awe and wonder as the large door was opened by Griphook using the key Severus had, to reveal large quantities of gold, silver, bronze, and other objects beside the coins.

The Potions Master got what he needed, and they headed back to the Bank's main lobby, Noah's happy 'whooooooos!' echoing through the cavern the entire way.

As they left the bank, Noah looked over his shoulder at the Goblins, and gave them a wave, and was happy to see Griphook give him a small wave in response.

"I think goblins are cool." Noah said with a confirming nod of the head as he grabbed his father's hand again as they entered the busy street.

Severus just smirked at the announcement as he led the boy to several stores, picking up the boy's school supplies. Noah happily explored every shop they went to, 'ooing' and 'ahhing' at any and everything, to ink that changed colors when you wrote with it, to the bat that hung outside of the pet shop 'Magical Menagerie'. He really wanted to go in there and look around there were so many interesting animals in there!

When Severus needed to do a bit of shopping on his own, the man had noticed Noah's interest in the magical pet shop.

"Noah, I need to go and gather some items from the apothecary, would you like to look around this shop as long as you behave?" He asked, and nearly smiled at the beaming grin that spread on the eleven year olds face.

"Oh can I? I'll be good, I promise!"

Severus let him go, and the boy practically ran into the store, eager to look around at all the animals.

The store keeper beamed at him, and Noah gave him an equally brilliant smile as he began to look around. There were cages that held rats, mice, and a few rodents he didn't recognize… But they had some interesting colors, like purple and blue. There was a white rabbit there with black zebra-like stripes. Moving on to a different section, he saw some cats, or Kneazls which looked a lot like cats in ever color he could imagine. He stopped and played with a few of the kittens that were in an open pen.

Moving on he went into another section that had a bunch on insects and mollusks, most of the containers they were in were marked 'poisonous' next to their names, so he left that section rather quickly (though a bright orange snail caught his attention for a moment).

He was about to skip over the canines and go straight to the reptiles, but was stopped when he heard a high little bark-howl from the section he was about to pass. Going back, he spotted a small pup in an open pen, like the kitten's pen. The puppy was the only one occupying it. The puppy was black with silver markings on it that shimmered in the light and resembled drawn flames. It's bright eyes a shimmering silver color that reminded Noah of the rare metal he saw on the dragon back in the bank. It was about the length of Noah's forearm. The pup's ears were huge compared to it's head, and Noah laughed as he came closer and the pup swiveled it's ears so they were focused on Noah, then it tilted it's head, giving the boy a quizzical look that the Snape found awfully cute, before bark-howling again, and jumping on to the wall of it's pen excitedly. It's tail wagged back and forth rapidly, and the long muzzle split open in a dog-like grin and to let a pink tongue roll out in a pant.

Noah grinned can came up all the way to the pen and kneeled down before petting the pup, who soaked up the affection like a sponge, licking his hand and playfully nipping it.

"Oh ho ho! Would you look at that? It's rare for magical wolf pups to take to anyone! That's why I don't sell them very often. How very interesting..." The man trailed off, and Noah spared him a glance before going back to shower the puppy in pets.

"A wolf pup?" He inquired, and the man nodded, watching the interaction between the two keenly.

That's how Severus found Noah, and knew instantly that the little pup spelled trouble for him as the pup gave him a side glance, before going back to give his full attention to Noah.

"Noah, I'm finish." He announced, alerting the boy to his presence.

"Oh, alright." The boy said dejectedly, and Severus had to bite his lip to keep a smirk for spreading on his face as he saw his son get up and give the puppy a longing glance.

The puppy's ears fell as the boy moved away from it, and a small whimper escaped it's throat as it gave Severus and Noah a sad look. It didn't want it's new friend to leave!

"I think he's quite taken with your son there Professor." The shopkeeper said as the puppy gave another pitiful whine.

"He's a happy puppy, he'll make someone happy too." Noah said, and Severus caught the sigh in his voice, and resisted to sigh himself.

'_I'm not going to be able to deny this boy anything, am I?'_ He thought, amused.

"How much?" He inquired to the shopkeeper, pointedly ignoring the shocked look on his son's face (even the pup stopped it cries and gave Severus it's full attention).

"Forty Galleons, twelve Sickles, and four Knuts… That includes the pup and the accessories." The man said a smile spreading on his face as the teacher nodded.

The man scooped the pup up with one hand and made his way to the front counter, Severus and Noah right behind him.

"You have an owl as well, you must make sure you give both the attention and care they both require." Severus said as they came to the counter.

Noah nodded vigorously- "Of course I will! I'd never mistreat them!" – He said, and Severus nodded, not doubting the boy's word.

The pup was placed in an open box on the counter, spelled so it wouldn't jump out. The shop owner then began placing other items on the counter, a book about magical wolves, a leash, two dish bowls, a collar with dog tags (That can be engraved, and the color of the collar changed with magic), a magical mat the resembles grass that was for the pup to relieve itself and would banish the excrement, and a plush rabbit, charmed to not rip and remain clean. The shopkeeper gave the puppy the stuffed rabbit, much to the pup's delight and began to chew on it happily while Severus shrunk most of the items with a spell and placed them in a pocket. The shopkeeper handed the box with the pup to Noah, who held onto it securely while Severus paid the due amount.

"Have fun naming him!" Was the shop owner's parting words, alerting Noah that the little wolf was male.

They left with Noah blubbering his thanks to his father, who simply smiled, and lead them over to _**'Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions'**_

The little puppy watched with rapt attention as his owner got measured, and fitted into some black robes while Severus ordered the stander three black robes for school, the winter cloak, and hat. But he also got some casual clothing that were also sold and the shop so Noah could wear more than just his robes.

After that, they had one last stop.

"Time to get your wand, Noah."

Ollivander's Wand Shop was rather small, and had musty smell to it. In the front, there was an old chair, a view of Diagon Alley, and a counter. But behind that counter, were thousands upon thousands of small, long boxes that Noah presumed had wands in them.

It was then Ollivander himself popped out from behind one of the tall shelves.

"Ah! Severus Snape! Black thorn and dragon heartstring, fourteen inches, excels in defensive spells." The man said, his crystal blue eyes looking at Severus before moving to Noah.

His eyes stayed on the boy for a few moments, making Noah fidget. Ollivander wasn't blinking, and it was unnerving him and giving the young wizard chills. Unconsciously, he stepped closer to his father, and clutched the box containing the wolf pup a little tighter, who yipped, breaking the odd trance the gangly wandmaker had been in.

The man gave Noah a suspicious look before asking:

"Who might you be?"

"Noah Snape." He was proud of himself for not stuttering.

The man threw him another suspicious look, and then one at Severus before summoning a measuring tape and coming up to Noah.

"Hold out your wand arm." He asked.

"Well, I'm right handed…"

"That would be it then!" He said with a grin as Noah put the puppy in the box down, and stuck out the requested arm.

The man took the tape beginning from his elbow to the tips of Noah's fingers, but before the Snape could even look at the numbers, the measuring tape was snapped back with Ollivander as he stood up quickly and weaved his way behind the counter to the jungle of shelves, muttering to himself the entire time.

Green eyes threw a questioning look at his father, but the man just simply shrugged and gave him a smirk, knowing exactly what the boy was going through.

Ollivander came back with a couple of boxes in his arms, and placed them on the counter before picking one box up and opening it.

"Oak with unicorn hair, twelve inches." He said, giving the wand to Noah, who took it.

The boy gave the wand a curious look before looking back at Ollivander.

"Well, give it a wave!" The man said, a smile playing at his lips.

Noah did just that, and nearly jumped out of his skin as a vase somewhere in the corner of the store, shattered.

Severus flinched, and the puppy yelped, diving into the box as Ollivander snatched the wand away.

"Nope! Not that one!" He said with a laugh as he went to retrieve another wand.

This one however, was snatched away from Noah mere milliseconds after touching it.

"That one will _definitely _not do!" The man muttered to himself.

Noah went through all the wands on the counter, and Ollivander went back behind the counter, but not before giving the elder Snape another suspicious look.

"Severus, wasn't there another person with you, also getting their wand when you were here getting yours? Lily Evans, I do believe?" The man said suddenly from behind one of the shelves.

Noah looked up just in time to see a startled look on his father's face, before it was gone.

"Yes." He said slowly, watching the man warily as the man poked his head out from behind a shelf.

"Ah! Indeed it was, her's was a willow wand 10 ¼ inches, excellent for charms." He said, before picking up a box that was up on a high shelf, and patted to dust from it.

The man's unnerving eyes stared at the box for a moment, before throwing Noah a knowing look. As he approached, he took the wand from the confides of the box, and handed it gingerly to Noah.

Right as he grasped the handle a warm feeling spread through him, and the magic around them swirled, making the puppy at his feet sneeze a few times.

Ollivander gave the boy a piercing look.

"How very curious." The man whispered, before looking over at Severus, then back at Noah.

Bending down so that he was eye level with Noah, he placed a long, pale finger on the boy's forehead, where his scar should be, making the green eyes widen in surprise.

"There should be something here, eh? Misters Snape?" He said, looking from one to the other, taking in the flabbergasted looks on both of their faces.

But before Severus or Noah could say anything to him, Ollivander stood with a smile on his lips.

"I'm sure we can expect great things from you, Noah Snape." He said, cleaning up the boxes and wands on the counter.

The wand was paid for without any other words exchanged, and they left the shop, Ollivander's knowing look imprinted in Noah's mind.

"He knows." He said simply, looking up at his father as the man took the free hand that wasn't occupied with the puppy in the box.

"Yes, but I'm sure we can trust Mr. Ollivander with our secret, despite how eccentric he might be." Severus said, giving the boy's hand a squeeze before apparitioning away back to the school.

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**R&R please!**


	6. The Sorting

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**The Sorting**

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The rest of the month seemed to become a blur. Noah spent most of his time either outside, playing with Obsidian (The puppy, who had now grown a little past Noah's knees) and Hedwig, in the library, or with his father, who started to teach him about potions and their ingredients, and was even helping the man on occasions!

In away, he felt that he was cheating, since he was getting a head start on his classes.

"Noah, there is no shame in using your resources to get ahead. It is in fact, those who are most successful in life are the ones that take advantage of it." Professor McGonagall had told him, and the guilt he felt over it never returned.

Then, the day before everyone arrived on the train, his father had informed him that he would be riding the train with all the other students.

"It will help you to get to know people, plus, it is a very special experience for first years." Despite his father's words, and the wondrous curiosity that flooded him at the mention of it being extra special…

He felt apprehensive yet very excited to meet others like him, magical children. It was an odd feeling.

"Will I be able to take Obsidian and Hedwig?" He had asked, but he had shook his head.

"Only Hedwig, it's for the best that Obsidian stay here till you are sorted." Noah had wanted to disagree, and the puppy had whimpered at the answer.

"It wouldn't look good for a teacher's son to have a familiar that isn't listed on the school list. People might become jealous or tease you." It made sense, but that didn't mean Noah had to like it.

**_September 1__st__ 9:45 AM_**

Before the two Snape's left, to go to the train, Noah left Obsidian in the care of Professor McGonagall, promising the distressed puppy that he would see him tonight. As Severus and Noah made their way to the edge of the school apparating wards, Noah looked up in worry at his Father.

"You sure he'll be okay?"

Severus had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. The boy was fidgeting and taking anxious glances back at the castle, while keeping one hand on Hedwig, who had taken perch on the boy's shoulder, at all times.

"I am very sure, Noah. Trust me."

That seemed to sate the boy, who grabbed the man's hand just as they came to edge of the wards. Noah felt the odd pulling sensation of apparation. They had come to a busy platform, and when Noah looked up at the number, green eyes widened in shock.

"Platform 9 ¾?" he questioned to himself as he looked around. There were many wizarding families and kids hugging and saying goodbyes to their parents for the school year, the student then going to enter on a HUGE black and scarlet steam engine train.

It was beautiful!

"Close your mouth, you do not want insects flying in." Severus said with amusement, and Noah snapped his mouth shut, a great smile spreading on is face as he grinned at his father then at everything around him.

Severus lead him to the train, ignoring the stares some of the older students were giving him, and the astonished looks as he gave Noah a one armed hug before pushing him towards the train entrance.

"Obsidian and I will see you at Hogwarts."

"Bye, Father" And the man swept away before apparating.

It suddenly felt very daunting, standing there without his father near him. Noah brought up a hand to start stroking Hedwig nervously as he willed himself to go on the train.

Going past some of the rooms, he noticed some of the students giving him odd looks, and talked in hushed whispers even if their door was closed.

Ignoring them as best he could, he hurried into an empty compartment, thanking his father that they got there early so there were quite a few empty. Hedwig cooed gently, and started to play with his hair. The boy smiled at the owl, happy for her presence.

"Hey there mate-"

"- Would you mind if we-"

"-Sit here?"

Noah blinked at the pair that stood in front of his compartment. They were obviously twins from the fact they looked exactly alike. They were about five inches taller than Noah, had short red hair, bright ocean blue eyes and sharp noses. Both were wearing Gryffindor robes, but the way they spoke, finishing each other's sentences like that! They must be able to read one another's minds!

That's so cool!

"Sure! Not a problem." Noah invited them in, and the twins settled themselves on the opposite seat.

"You must be-"

"- A itty bwitty Firsty!"

They chortled and Noah laughed, already liking the two, and he nodded in confirmation.

"This is Fred-" Said the one of the right pointing to his brother

"- and this is George" The other mirrored.

"And we are the Weasley twins" They both said at the same time, before sticking their hands out.

Noah used both of his hands to shake theirs.

"I'm Noah, Noah Snape."

The pair dropped their mouths, staring in shock at him, and Noah wondered if he said something wrong.

"Snape?"

"As in, Severus Snape's son?"

"Well, yeah. He's my father." Noah confirmed, telling them the story the headmaster made-up, about him living with his mother till she had died.

"It's hard to believe-"

"-He would have a kid."

"He hates everyone-"

"-except for those in his house."

Noah frowned, didn't father tell him that it didn't matter what house he was in? What if it really did? He couldn't deal with losing his father after he just found him! How could he face the days at school knowing his father despised him, because he wasn't what his father wanted?

"Would he hate me if I'm not sorted into Slytherin?"

Fred shook his head as George answered.

"He's your parent. Even if he's a git to everyone else, you're flesh and blood. So I really doubt it. Parents love you no matter what."

"Yeah! Like once, George and I accidently broke an heirloom of our mum's once after a prank went wrong."

"We had lit off fireworks in the house by accident."

"Down right furious she was. Especially since it was something you couldn't just simply fix with a _'repairo'._"

"Couldn't feel our bottoms for a week straight! We had gotten the spoon for it."

"But you know what? She was only mad for a little while; she didn't disown us or send us away. She definitely still loves us-"

"We're family after all" The both said at the same time at the end of their story.

Noah couldn't help but grin brightly at them.

"However…" George said in a mock serious tone.

"I am fairly certain he'll disown you if you get sorted into Hufflepuff." Fred ended with a serious stare.

Noah busted out laughing, and the two joined him.

The entire train ride to Hogwarts was filled with laughter and stories from the compartment, and when they arrived to the school, the Weasley Twins promised to still be friends with the young Snape no matter what house he got sorted into, even if it was Hufflepuff.

Hedwig departed from Noah as he approached Hagrid, shouting for first years to gather around him.

"'Ello there Noah." The large man greeted before ushering him, and the rest of the first years into some boats.

When the castle came into view, Noah was right along with the other firsties, _oooing _and_ ahhhing_ at the illuminated castle of Hogwarts. He had lived there for little over a month, but the sight of the castle in it's full glory glowing in the moonlight was a grand sight indeed.

"That's bloody brilliant!" A blond haired boy said, and Noah fully agreed.

Too soon however, they were out of the boats, and were ushered into the castle's main doors, Professor McGonagall was there at the top in front of the Great Hall's massive doors.

"Welcome to Hogwarts!" She said, as all the students gathered around and became silent at her announcement.

Her dark eyes scanned the room, as if sizing them all up; there were a few audible gulps from the soon-to-be-students.

"Now, before we being, we'll be sorting you all into one of four houses. We have Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin." She told them, and the students became excited.

"Now while you're here, your house is your family. And you earn and lose points for your house on your behavior and actions in the class. At the end of the year, the house with the most points, shall be awarded the house cup-"

"TREVOR!"

Noah was startled, along with a few other kids and the Professor from the sudden outburst of a boy who ran forward and caught what looked like a _toad_ from the floor, right in front of the now miffed professor.

The boy offered a sorry, and ran quickly back into the mass of first years to stand next to the young Snape. A few laughs erupted from the group, and Noah patted the boy a few times on the back in a comforting manner. The boy turned his head to give a shy, but thankful smile, and he returned it just as the Professor threw open the doors to the Great Hall for the to be sorted.

Noah felt his heart rise into his throat, and would do anything at that moment to have Obsidian or Hedwig with him to ease the nervousness he felt. He knew that his Father said that it didn't matter what house he ended up in, but he still couldn't help but feel jittery about the whole thing. Even as he looked up to the head table, and saw the man throw him a smirk. In fact, it added to his nervousness.

A sudden hit to his back made him look up to see the Weasley twins giving him a thumbs up, and suddenly felt immensely better as the Transfiiguration teacher began to call names to be sorted.

Some were called, and that odd hat on the stool came to life, and shouted out where they belonged, the first person to catch his attention was a girl named Hermione Granger, for she was telling herself to relax, that she could do it. At leas, Noah thought, he wasn't alone in his nervousness. The hat engulfed her head despite her rather bushy brown hair. The hat and girl conversed in low voices before the hat shouted out "RAVENCLAW!"

Applause erupted from that table, and Noah flashed her a grin as she passed him to get to her table, she grinned right back.

Some more kids got sorted, then a Neville Longbottom was called, the boy who picked up the toad stepped up to the stool in a nervous wreck. The hat was placed on him, and Noah watched as he held the toad gently in his hand, petting it absently to sooth himself while under the hat.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat crowed, and the house table went up in cheers.

Noah gave the boy thumbs up as he passed, and he gave one in return.

A few more people… Then a Draco Malfoy got called up, the blond from the boats, and Noah watched in interest as the hat automatically called out Slytherin before it had even fully come in contact with his head.

"Slimy git…." He heard a boy head, and turned his head to see a red head boy glaring at the blond as he proudly took his seat among the other Slytherins who welcomed him graciously.

And then. His name rung out into the hall as the group of kids dwindled to a handful.

"Noah Snape!"

Silence filled the hall, and Noah felt his own nervousness rise even higher as whispers broke out.

"Snape had a _kid?"_

"Who would do _that_ with him?" This came from the red head, and Noah fought to send a rather heated glare at the boy as he stood up straight and proudly sat at the stool.

The hat was dropped onto his head, and his vision became dark as the brim covered his eyes.

"Ahhh, Mr. Potter, or Mr. Snape now, I was wondering when I'd get to sort you." The raspy voice of the hat whispered.

"Now let's see… A good mind, yes, but Ravenclaw is not for you. Loyal! Oh yes! But Hufflepuff isn't for you either. Oh, is there cunning in there, slyness to go along with that fine mind, Slytherin would not be a bad option, Mr. Snape, but your bravery and heart. It shines like a great beacon within you."

"I am fine with Gryffindor. I already have friends there! I know Slytherin is my father's house, but I want to be where I most belong, and not go just because of relations." Noah inputted, and the hat chuckled.

"Yes! This is the place for you! GRYFFINDOR!"

The hat's voice echoed in the suddenly deathly quiet hall, however, just as the hat was pulled of his head, there were three sets of claps, one coming from his father, and the other two from the Weasely twins, and they even went as far to cat call him and exclaim loud whoops, which enticed some laughter, and other began to join in clapping. With a huge grin, Noah ran to the table to sit in-between the two red head heads that made room for him, and he shook hands with Percy, the house Prefect, and a few others at the table. Neville, from the Hufflepuff table gave him a grin, which Noah gladly returned, and when he looked up at the head table to see his father, the elder Snape gave him a wiry smile.

The rest of the kids were sorted, and Noah found out that the red head that made the mean comment before, was another Weasely. The two ignored each other for the night.

"Don't worry about our little bro-"

"-Ron, he just needs to get over that-"

'You're the Potion Master's son!" The two said as they filled up Noah's plate, as it appeared right in front of them.

Noah, couldn't be happier.

**xXxXxXx**

**I realize some of you might not like that I put Noah into Gryffindor… There's many reasons for this! Now, R&R, and I'll try and have the next chap up faster this time… Haha!**


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